The standard door latch for latching and unlatching a door includes an elongated latch member slidably supported on either a door or a door frame to interconnect the door and the door frame. The latch member includes a handle end having some type of a handle and an oppositely disposed latch end for engaging and disengaging the door frame, etc. Handles of the type hitherto employed on latch mechanisms have generally required a person to use his or her hand to contact the handle and thereby move the latch. This may be inconvenient in the case where the person is handicapped and cannot use his or her hands, or in the case where the person would prefer not to touch the handle with his or her hands for sanitary reasons.
Partition doors in the stall of a public restroom are particularly well suited to receive a sanitary and/or handicapped accessible latch mechanism. In designing and manufacturing equipment to service the handicapped population, however, it is important to consider that handicapped individuals may, from time to time, require emergency assistance inside the restroom stall. For example, a paralyzed person may fall to the floor of the restroom and thus become trapped behind the locked partition door, with outside helpers unable to gain entrance to render assistance. Not only is this situation embarrassing and demeaning to the handicapped individual, but also extremely disheartening to any would be rescuer.